My philosophy

"If you only do what you've already done, you'll only get what you've already got." (Unknown)

There are many exercise and nutrition alternatives. Trainers vary widely in their attitudes toward particular methods. It’s important for you to know my philosophy vs. your expectations. You should demand the same of any trainer you may hire.

I would feel privileged to have you as my client. Your health, fitness, and safety are important to me. The opportunity to work with you and share knowledge that may have a wonderful impact on your life is exciting. I'm not looking to sell you memberships, or nutrition bars, powders, and equipment that you don't need. My rates are reasonable compensation for my time and business costs in listening to your goals, assessing your needs, designing a safe and achievable training plan, motivating you to stay with it, and answering your questions.

Physical fitness is a critical component of a healthy lifestyle. Whether you want to run a marathon, be a better soccer player, maintain a healthy weight, work in your garden without aching, or keep the curse of old age at bay, a well-designed fitness program and the dedication to follow it are essential.

It's the big picture that's important. Strength, endurance, flexibility, body composition, and nutrition are all deeply interwoven. Together they can have a tremendous impact on your life and health, not only physically but mentally. An imbalance in any one will eventually have an impact on the others. Whether you're interested in only losing weight, or just running faster, or simply getting better at your favorite sport, I believe that it's important to incorporate those components of strength, endurance, flexibility, body composition, and nutrition into your training, and to ensure that they're also in balance with your lifestyle as a whole.

There are no short-cuts to fitness, conditioning, body image, a healthy diet, and weight loss. The major requirements are time, safe and proven methods, consistency, hard work, and rest. Pills, powders, diets, expensive machines, so-and-so's 'exclusive method', etc., if effective at all, are merely secondary. Trainers or gyms that seem to push one particular training approach or program, dietary supplement, machine, apparatus, or substance are likely more interested in your money than your health and fitness.

Trainers must be good listeners. An effective fitness program must be based around your goals and capabilities. Changes and adaptations often must be made along the way. You will have good days and bad days. Your trainer needs to stay well attuned to your needs, feelings, and progress, and not be a ‘know it all’. I'm as committed to sharing with you what I do know, as I am to admitting what I don't know and following up to find out.

The first problem you’re likely to have is commitment. The best exercise is often the one you'll actually do. You simply must find the time to make training an appropriate yet balanced priority in your life. So many people fail to do this. Most can benefit greatly from as little as 30 minutes of simple at-home or outdoor exercise, 3-5 times a week. Time-efficient training is a key component of my plans.

You don’t need to join a gym to lose weight or get in shape. If spending money, being part of an organization, being with other people, or having athletic equipment around stimulates you, fine … you may well benefit from joining a gym or other organized activity. But it’s certainly not a requirement. You’ll be amazed at how much you can improve your strength, aerobic conditioning, and flexibility at home and outdoors with almost no equipment.

The fitness world is like almost anything else in life - there’s fact, fiction, and everything in between. ‘Experts’ are everywhere. Books, magazines, TV, and the Internet are overflowing with advice. Scientific journals are brimming with studies. But your time is valuable, exercise is important, and your body is unique. Applying that information correctly so you invest the least amount of time, for the greatest benefit, towards your personal goals, simply requires knowledgeable, experienced help.

You can out-eat any exercise program. I ran almost 600 miles over 17 weeks training for a marathon and actually GAINED weight! Unfortunately the amount of calories we burn exercising is relatively small compared with the amount we eat every day. It's obviously possible to lose weight, but it requires careful manipulation of diet and activity. A more balanced approach for many people is to focus on alternative health and fitness indicators like reduced body fat and increased strength or aerobic performance.